-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After more than seven hours of deliberations , jurors still have n't decided whether Jodi Arias will live or die .

The Arizona jury sent out a note Wednesday morning saying its members could n't agree .

Judge Sherry Stephens told them to try again and ordered them back into the jury room .

It was another unexpected turn in the dramatic , high-profile murder trial , which has lasted for months , sparked a media frenzy and drawn spectators who line up for courtroom seats .

Earlier this month , the same jurors took less than two hours to decide that Arias was `` exceptionally cruel '' in 2008 when she stabbed ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander 29 times , slit his neck from ear to ear and shot him in the face .

They pronounced her guilty of first-degree murder two weeks ago after 15 hours of deliberations .

Now , the jury is weighing whether Arias , 32 , should get the death penalty .

After jurors told Stephens they were stuck on Wednesday , the judge encouraged them to listen to each other , pinpoint areas of agreement and disagreement and ask for further guidance if they need it .

It 's an approach often described as a `` dynamite charge , '' used by judges to blast open logjams in deliberations and help jurors reach a verdict .

It 's unclear whether her advice worked . After Stephens ordered them to continue their discussions , jurors deliberated for more than four more hours , then went home for the day .

The jury 's decision must be unanimous for Arias to be sentenced to death . In the case of a deadlock , a new jury would be chosen for this phase of the trial .

A plea for mercy

A path of heartbreak , violence , lies and confessions has led Arias to the Phoenix courtroom where her life is now in a jury 's hands .

On Tuesday , she pleaded with jurors to spare her .

It was a stark reversal from two weeks ago , when she told a journalist she preferred death to life in prison .

`` I believe death is the ultimate freedom , so I 'd rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it , '' she told KSAZ shortly after her conviction .

But her family implored her to change her mind , she told KSAZ late Tuesday . Now she wants to spare them further heartbreak , she said .

`` One of my cousins really drove it home for me and told me how much it would affect them , if I did anything to myself , '' she said .

Her mother pleaded with her , she claimed . `` Please do n't give up ; please do n't give up , '' Arias said she told her .

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Well-planned presentation

Her life seemed to pass before her , as she delivered a slideshow presentation -- mostly of family photos -- to the jury on Tuesday . It started off with pictures of her as a toddler wearing pigtails and showed several images from holidays and vacations with family members .

She read a prepared statement for nearly 20 minutes , at times crying .

Arias told jurors that she had been a victim of abuse as an adult and as a child . She had claimed she killed Alexander in self-defense after he hurt her , something evidence failed to substantiate .

She called his murder `` the worst mistake '' she 'd ever made , `` the worst thing I 've ever done . '' She could n't have imagined herself capable of such a grisly crime , Arias told the jury .

`` But I know that I was , '' she said . `` And for that I 'm going to be sorry for the rest of my life -- probably longer . ''

Arias pledged to make herself useful to other prisoners and humanity by performing acts of charity from behind bars , if spared . She told jurors Tuesday that she could teach people to read in prison and pledged to dedicate her life to good causes .

She noted she could bring `` people together in a constructive and positive way '' by participating in various programs , including prisoner literacy initiatives ; by her `` Survivor '' T-shirts , which would benefit victims of domestic violence ; and by donating her hair , so it could be used to make wigs for sick children . She showed the jurors several pieces of her artwork .

She told them she would suffer for what she did .

`` I 'm not going to become a mother because of my own terrible choices , '' she said . `` I wo n't be at my sister 's wedding , when she ties the knot next year . ''

Attorneys argue life and death

Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott argued Tuesday that Arias ' life should be spared .

`` We 're not talking about whether or not to convict . We 're talking about whether or not to kill . And so when we talk about that , it matters that she was 27 years old and she had no criminal history , '' she said . `` It matters that she had n't done anything wrong in her life before that . ''

Prosecutor Juan Martinez said pointing to Arias ' artwork as evidence that her life should be spared was n't a valid defense .

`` It 's an entitlement road that they want you to travel when they talk to you about the fact that she 's a good artist , '' he said . `` It does n't mean anything . All it means is : give her special or preferential treatment . ''

He argued that jurors should sentence Arias to death .

`` You have a duty , and that duty really means that you actually do the honest , right thing , even though it may be difficult , '' he said .

If Arias is given a sentence of death , she would be the fourth woman on death row in the state of Arizona .

When Alexander died

Arias was living in Yreka , California , when she met Alexander at a business convention in Las Vegas in September 2006 . That November , he baptized Arias into the Mormon faith , a ceremony Arias said was followed by anal sex .

Arias became his girlfriend two months later , she testified . They broke up in the summer of 2007 , and Alexander began dating other women .

Alexander 's naked body was found crammed in a stand-up shower in June 2008 after he missed two appointments , prompting friends to go to his house . He had been stabbed 29 times in the back and torso and shot in the head . His throat was slit .

After her arrest , Arias told an elaborate lie about masked intruders breaking into Alexander 's house and killing him before she narrowly escaped .

Relatives who spoke with police described her as mentally unstable .

HLNTV.com : Friend of Arias tweeting on her behalf

HLN 's Graham Winch and In Session 's Grace Wong contributed to this report .

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NEW : The jury has gone home for the day ; they 've deliberated for more than seven hours

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After jurors say they 're stuck , a judge offers suggestions , sends them back to deliberations

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They are weighing whether Jodi Arias should receive the death penalty

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Arias pleads for her life , saying she could make a difference in prison